Let's get the positives out of the way: I'm a sucker for PS1 era pixel art and this game is no exception. The game has a pretty good soundtrack with Aqua Man and the Credits theme in particular being my favorites. My positives end there.

For me a majority of the negatives regarding Mega Man 8 stem from the gameplay. Mega Man's run and slide speed are slower than ever before (or at least they feel that way). A lot of level gimmicks don't feel particularly engaging and are long drawn out, with Astro Man's mazes and Tengu Man/Wily 2's autoscroll sections coming to mind in particular. Most stage minibosses feel like nothing but bullet sponges. Mega Man 8 is just slow. It doesn't do a good job of replicating the moment to moment gameplay the classic series is known for, and what it brings new to the gameplay table just isn't good.

Despite everything I've said I don't hate Mega Man 8. I don't even dislike it. It's just that when I'm looking for my classic Mega Man fix, this game is not the one I'm choosing, and probably never will be.